Roads Untraveled
by Vlaatjee
Summary: Another Vinnie[X]Charley fluff, written from Vinnie's POV in the same style as Flightless Bird. But other than that, this story is a stand-alone and has nothing to do with FB its storyline at all.
1. Chapter 1

Hello!

So, I came up with another side story about Vinnie and Charley.  
I just love to write about them, I especially enjoy it to crawl inside Vinnie's head.

So, since this is a new story, here are the standard announcements:  
\- I don't own the Biker Mice From Mars.  
\- English ain't my first language, so I apologize in advance for any spelling or/and grammar errors.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a review, always very much appreciated. :)  
Ciao!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Honeeeeyy, I'm hoooome!"  
Vinnie's high pitched voice echoed against the walls of the garage.  
His bro's pulled up next to him and they all three removed their helmet.  
"She ain't here", Modo stated the obvious.  
"But it's time for dinner…", Vinnie pouted.  
"Is that the only thing you can think about? Food?", Throttle asked as he stepped off his bike with a shaking head.  
"You make it sound like it's a problem...", the white-furred mouse retorted with an innocent look on his face.

Besides, food wasn't the only thing on his mind.  
Charley was.  
Every day, every hour, every minute.  
A thing his bro's were completely unaware of.  
Actually, everybody was, including Charley.  
And he intended to keep it that way.  
At least until he had found the courage to tell her.  
To tell her that he couldn't stop thinking about her.

_Ah, how cute…  
__But about that food..._

"Hey, guys…"  
Her voice broke him outta his thoughts and his heart started to beat faster.  
That always seemed to happen when she was close.  
He looked up but when his gaze landed on her, his heart just stopped.  
His mouth dropped.  
His eyes grew big.  
What the…

_My sweet holy Mothers of Mars..._

Charley was standing in the doorway.  
That wasn't exactly mindblowing but the fact that she wasn't dressed in her usual attire was.  
It was actually for the first time that the white-furred mouse saw her dressed like this.  
And jesus, it blew him away.  
Totally swept him off his feet.  
All he could do was to stare at her with his mouth open.  
So did his bro's.

_Flatline..._

"Wow, uhm, C-Charley ma'am, you look… You look great!", Modo eventually managed to bring out, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
"Yeah, the big fella is right, Charley girl. You do look stunning, babe", Throttle agreed as he swept a hand through his hair as a so-called casual move to hide his shock.  
"Oh stop it, you guys. It's just an old dress that I found in the back of my closet", Charley responded with a faint blush on her cheeks, her gaze lowered as she adjusted the red fabric around her hips.  
It was obvious that she wasn't used to getting compliments about her appearance.  
She shot a nervous glance towards Vinnie who was, for the first time in years, quiet as a mouse.

_Maybe you should say something…  
__Yeah…  
__I totally should...  
__But..._

_By the gods_, that dress… it really brought out her curves…  
He couldn't get enough of the beautiful sight, so he decided to take his time.  
Things were already awkward now, so… he had nothing to lose.

_Other than your flawless reputation of being super cool and not easily impressed at all…?  
__I guess you're right.  
__Nothing to lose indeed…  
__***Rolls eyes***_

Shut up.  
He wanted to enjoy this moment.  
His gaze lowered and he started at her feet.  
She was wearing black pumps with high heels instead of her usual greasy boots.  
His eyes followed her muscular calves and he noticed how long and smooth her legs were.  
A thing he hadn't seen before since she was always wearing baggy jeans.  
The dress started right above her knees and got tighter by the hips.  
The red fabric enclosed her small waist and… and…

**_…_**

_Jesus_, her breasts were pushed up and the low cut dress gave him a clear view at her cleavage…  
His mouth became dry.  
My god, she was even more beautiful than he ever dreamed of.  
It wasn't vulgar or cheap or something like that.  
No.  
It was beautiful.  
_She_ was beautiful.  
More than beautiful.  
His ruby red eyes made contact with her marvelous green eyes and for a moment, he just stared at her.

_***Ahem*  
**__Times up, Romeo.  
__You're starting to make a fool outta yourself here, van Wham.  
__There's only so much your flawless reputation can take, okay?  
__No need to exaggerate. _

Right.  
He finally managed to grab himself together and he cleared his throat as he pulled on his bandana.  
"Looking good, sweetheart…"  
He didn't like the tone of his voice.  
It sounded way too fragile.

_Ugh._

He took a deep breath to get himself back in line, to put his mask back on and winked at her as his lips curled into a arrogant and cheeky smile.  
"But really, babe, you shouldn't have... I like you just the way you are and I'm feeling slightly underdressed here..."

_Grrrrrreat comeback!  
__Just make a joke outta it.  
__Priceless._

That wasn't a joke.

**_…_**

Okay, maybe it was.  
A joke Charley didn't appreciate.

_Geez, I wonder why?  
__***slaps face*  
**__Of course she didn't.  
__Ugh.  
__For someone who's supposed to be smart, you can be so stupid sometimes._

Why thank you…  
Wait… I ain't stupid, I...  
Argh, **focus**!

Her cheeks turned red and her green eyes almost burned a hole in his skull.  
"This isn't for you, knucklehead! Here's a newsflash for you: It isn't _always_ about _you_!"  
"It isn't?"

_Perhaps now is the time to shut your mouth again.  
__Staring at her is less dangerous, I guess..._

"So what's the occasion then, Charley girl?", Throttle quickly intervened before the human girl would wring his younger bro's neck.  
Charley took a deep breath and she gave Vinnie a challenging look as she answered the question.  
"I have a date."  
The words left her mouth firmly and she lifted her chin as if she was daring them, and Vinnie in specific, to say something about it.  
To try to stop her.

_SAY WHAT?!_

These four words, these four simple words hit Vinnie straight in the heart.  
As if she just slapped him the face.

_Slapped?  
__Stop with the political correctness alright.  
__She just knocked the lights outta your eyes, dude._

She… she was going on a date?  
With… with someone else?

_But… But…  
__What about him?_

A terribly bad feeling tied his stomach in a knot and he suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.  
But since Charley was keeping a close eye on him and he sure as hell didn't wanna let her see what this was doing to him, because _come on_, he never lowered his walls, he pushed his pain away.  
But as usual, to cover up the pain, anger immediately followed.  
A familiar process.  
Unfortunately, a little bit _too_ familiar to his taste.

_Just…  
__Just __**try**__ not to hurt her..._

"A date? With who?", he asked as he narrowed his eyes.  
"With a decent guy I met at the store", she answered a little bit too quickly.

_A decent guy…  
__Ugh, come on!  
__Where's the fun in that?  
__Decent.  
__Blugh. _

"Decent, huh? You sure about that?"  
His voice was too sharp, he knew that.  
But he wasn't exactly in control.  
And he knew he just stepped into the danger zone.  
This was code red.  
He really needed to stop talking…

"I'm pretty sure, why do you even wanna know?"

_ABORT, ABORT!_

"Because decent is exactly what you gonna need if you're really planning on going out dressed like that…"

_**O M G!  
**__I __**cannot**__ believe you really just said that!  
__You, mister van Wham, just dug your own grave._

Now it was Charley who looked as if she got slapped in the face.  
The look in her eyes...  
Embarrassed.  
Mocked at.  
It made his heart even heavier.

_Jesus, just tell her you didn't mean that!  
__It's not too late.  
__Not yet!_

"Vincent! That ain't how you talk to a lady!", Modo spit out as his eye started to glow red.  
Vinnie knew he was right, that he needed to tell her he was sorry, but because of serious resentment and therefore anger, he didn't.  
He wished he did.  
But he didn't.

_Come on, let go off your ego.  
__Tell her you're sorry…_

He put his chin in the air.

_Say it…_

His tail lashed through the air.

_**Now**__, goddammit!_

"What? I'm just telling it like it is… I mean, look at her. The guy might get the wrong idea in his head by only _seeing_ that neckline…"

_You just loooooove living on the edge, now do ya?  
__Jesus…_

Charley pushed herself off the wall and marched over to him.  
A thing he could only admire because of the high heels she was wearing.  
"You, mister, are just jealous!", she growled between clenched teeth as she poked his chest.  
"Your sorry ego busted, and now you take it out on me. How _pathetic_."  
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, his heart sore by every word she said.  
Autsj...

_Quit your whining, you little baby!  
__She's right and you know it!_

She was.  
Of course she was.  
And yet, he couldn't get the words over his lips.  
Well, not the right words, that is…

"Jealous? _Ha_, come on! I can have any girl I want, babe…"

_Okay, ENOUGH!  
__Not another word… NO!  
__Ah, ah, ah!  
__Don't you dare..._

"Are ya sure you ain't projecting your own sense of rejection on me now?"

_***Sigh*  
**__Why do I even bother?  
__I give up.  
__You messed up.  
__Big time._

Charley's mouth closed with a clap.  
"Who's pathetic now, huh?", Vinnie smiled arrogantly, but his heart cried now.

_Oh sure, another blow, even if she's already down.  
__Honestly, you have no limits…  
__No shame._

She breathed in sharply and for a moment it looked like she was gonna yell at him.

_Bring it on.  
__Wait, what?  
__No._

But then, after giving him one more deadly glare, she turned around and left the room.

_No, Charley…  
__I'm sorry, please, come back..._

Vinnie flinched when he heard the front door close with a loud bang.  
"Wauw, way to go, Vincent. That was harsh. Too harsh. You just crossed a line that isn't meant to be crossed…", Throttle sighed as he dropped on a chair, a tired look on his face.

_I know…  
__Trust me, I know..._

"What? Jesus, I was only trying to _protect_ her, it's not my problem she doesn't know how to deal with some constructive criticism!", he protested with high pitched voice.  
Again, he didn't like the tone of his voice.  
It was too… defensive.  
Modo suddenly stood in front of him and Vinnie almost scrambled backward.

_Uh oh, someone is in trouble…  
__And you should be.  
__After everything you said to her..._

But he managed to stand his ground and looked back at his older bro with a challenging look on his face.  
"Constructive criticism? Do you even know what that means?", the grey-furred giant asked, his eye still glowing red.  
"I'm not just pretty, ya know. I know things. So yeah, I _do_ know what that means."

_I'm sorry Modo, I really am, it wasn't my intention…  
__But she hurt my feelings…  
__Therefore, I wasn't thinking clear..._

"Well, whatever your reasons were, _you_ are gonna apologize to the lady when she's back!"  
"_Ha_, as if…! I did nothing wrong!", Vinnie snorted as he folded his arms.

_Modo...?  
__Can't you see I just don't know how to be honest?  
__That I don't know how to be vulnerable?_

Modo grabbed him by the bandana and pulled him closer, so close that their noses almost touched.  
"_You_ are gonna tell her you're_ sorry_. And that's _final_…"  
Vinnie swallowed with difficulty, hearing the suppressed anger in Modo's voice.  
The big guy didn't get angry that easily but beware for those who insulted a woman in his presence.

_You better do as he says…  
__You don't wanna bring Modo's wrath upon ya.  
__Remember the last time that happened?  
__You ate your food through a straw for about six months..._

Right.  
How could he forget?  
"Okay, okay, slow your roll, dude, before you give yourself a heart attack…"  
Or me a broken jaw for that matter...

_Modo...?  
__Can't you see I'm scared to open up?  
__Scared to be disappointed if I do?  
__To get hurt?_

Modo let him go.  
"Good. Now, about that dinner…"

_FOOOOOD!_

"Hot dogs and rootbeer?", Vinnie immediately blurted out, happy with the distraction and grabbing it with both hands and tail.  
"What else?", Throttle chuckled.  
Clearly, the tan-furred mouse had decided that Modo's scolding was enough for now.  
Vinnie didn't complain.  
One angry bro was enough, alright.

_Next to a very angry human…_

Oh man…  
He could only hope that this whole date thingy didn't work out.  
What if Charley, _his_ Charley girl, would get into a relationship with another guy?  
Someone other than him?

_More to the point, professor…_

What if he was too late…?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey you guys...

Thank you so much for the reviews!  
I'm so happy to hear that you guys like it :)

So, here's the next chapter.  
Enjoy and feel free to leave a review, it always makes my day.

Later dudes!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Righty tighty…  
__Lefty loosy…_

Vinnie was busy with giving his bike a tune-up.  
His bro's were already back to the scoreboard.  
So, it was not that he had better things to do right now.  
He needed to wait until Charley was back, after all.  
Back from her date.  
Her date with someone else.  
Someone else.  
Meaning; not him.

_Gosh, the horror..._

Waiting wasn't really his specialty.  
He hated it to just… do nothing.  
Such a waste of good skills.  
So, he'd decided to do some overdue maintenance of his bike.  
The perfect way to distract his mind.  
Well, that was the idea.  
The reality was so much different.  
Turned out that his mind liked doing nothing just as much as he did.

_Duh._

Man, he felt terrible.  
And that was as much an understatement as it was true.  
The guilt almost paralyzed him.  
The look on her face…

_You're the one responsible for that.  
__You, and you alone…_

Jesus, as if he didn't know that.  
Thanks for the reminder, goddammit.  
Thanks, but no thanks.  
His tail lashed through the air as he continued his fight with a small screw.  
A small screw having its own will.  
The stupid thing was uncooperative.

_Obey, you stupid little piece of metal.  
__OBEY!_

***CRACK***

Oh.  
That didn't sound good.  
He took a closer look.

_Typical.  
__Just… typical._

As if things weren't bad enough already.  
As if he wasn't near the end of his rope.  
This whole night was one complete failure.  
First, he found out that Charley was going on a date with someone else.  
A thing that made him more jealous than ever.  
A thing that broke his heart.

But instead of telling her that, he just went completely loco on her.  
Instead of just wishing her a whole lotta fun, he said things he didn't wanna say and therefore he hurt her feelings and then she left with that tormented look in her eyes and then Modo got angry at him and he just wanted to say sorry but he couldn't becausehewassuchapussyandnow…

***Inhales***

NOW YOU HAVE THE GODDAMN NERVE TO BREAK OFF!?

_Jesus, chill, dude.  
__Blaming a screw for your own screw up ain't gonna do ya any good._

HA!  
**Screw up**.  
See what I did there?  
Hehe…

_My god, that was… that was just…_

A super funny wordplay?

_No._

Ugh, you're no fun.

Vinnie gritted his teeth as he tried to fix this mess.  
But it was no use.  
The screw had already been tiny when in one piece.  
It was now twice as tiny.

_You don't say._

Shut. Up.  
He jiggled with the screwdriver in the small hole, but this was a losing battle.

_Lose?  
__Did you just say lose?  
__You, my friend, NEVER lose._

Today...  
Today he already did.  
Lose.  
And it made him furious all of a sudden.  
A growl escaped through his clenched teeth as he jumped at his feet and threw the screwdriver away with all his strength.  
A weak attempt to release some of his stress.  
To vent some of his frustration.  
It seemed like a good idea.  
Yeah, until the door opened at the same time, that is.

_Uh oh…  
__So much for a good idea._

Charley came into view, but froze when she saw an object that was called a screwdriver flying straight towards her.

_You better duck, sweetheart…_

Letting out a soft yell in fear, she ducked.  
Thank the Mothers of Mars, she ducked.  
With perfect timing.  
The screwdriver flew just inches over her head and disappeared in the dark.

_Oh my god, that was so close…  
__Great, ain't it?!_

"Wow, great reflexes, babe", Vinnie chuckled relieved and impressed at the same time.  
For a moment his anger, and all the other thousand emotions he was feeling right before this, forgotten.  
The way the dress had given him an even better look at her cleavage when she ducked made his mouth watering.

_Perhaps you should throw another screwdriver..._

What?  
No way.

The white furred mouse looked at Charley.  
His ears drooped when he saw the murderous look on her face.  
"Vinnie! How many goddamn times do I need to tell you that throwing with tools is NOT ALLOWED IN THIS GARAGE? You almost killed me just now!"  
Her voice was sharp as a knife.  
Oh boy…

_I pretty much narrowed it down to approximately a hundred._

What?

_That's how many times she has already told ya that throwing with…_

Shut.  
The fuck.  
Up.

Vinnie gave Charley a guilt-ridden look as he shuffled with his feet.  
"My bad, sweetheart. I just wanted to check if you weren't drunk…"

_Wauw._

While looking into her fuming green eyes, it suddenly hit him again.  
Right.  
The dress.  
The date.  
The… apologie…  
What on Mars was he gonna say to her?  
He was so not good at this.

_You're good at everything, van Wham.  
__You're the best._

Yeah, maybe, but there was still much more to learn when it came to this.  
To being sincere.  
To be vulnerable.  
To be completely honest..

"You passed the test with flying colors, babe."

_I think this is one of those moments again.  
__Ya know, that you need to stop talking?_

Charley let out a heavy sigh as she took off her jacket.  
She turned her back on him to hang it on the coat rack.  
Vinnie's gaze lowered.  
Oh, Modo's momma…  
She was perfect.

_Focus, van Wham.  
__First things first.  
__Tell the girl you're sorry._

But… how?  
Charley kicked off her shoes.

_You're still staring at her…_

She bend forward to scratch her right foot.  
He bit his lower lip.  
Man...

_STOP staring, she's about to turn around!_

Charley turned around and Vinnie stood at attention immediately as he flashed her his most charming smile.  
She wasn't the only one with good reflexes, hehe.  
So, about that apologie...  
"So… You uh… you had fun tonight?"

_WHAT?!  
__Why do you even wanna know?  
__What if she says yes?!_

Dude, it already left his mouth before he could process it.  
Nothing new, right?!  
She studied him with narrowed eyes, but then her face softened.  
Her eyes started to twinkle.  
A smile curled her lips.

_That can't be good…_

"Actually, I had. Fun."  
The dreamy expression left little to be desired.  
Another arrow straight in his heart.

_See?  
__I told ya, I told ya.  
__That was a dangerous question._

Vinnie swallowed with difficulty.  
But the big lump that was stuck in his throat out of nowhere remained where it was.  
Jesus, he hadn't cried in years.  
So why start now?  
The tip of his tail twitched.  
But he was speechless.  
Completely clueless about what to say next.

_Well, that __**is**__ new..._

"James is his name", Charley broke him outta his thoughts.  
She was still having that spark in her eyes.  
Vinnie's stomach turned.

"He's a salesman. For bikes. He sells bikes…"

_So? I ride one.  
__And I do it with style.  
__Van Wham style.  
__Eat that, __**James**__._

"...and is a true gentleman. He brought me roses…"

_You don't even like roses, goddammit._

"...he paid for our dinner... "

_So?  
__I can make somersaults with my bike, so who's cool now, huh?_

"...and brought me home."

_Such a gentleman…  
__Ugh.  
__If it was me you went on a date with, we probably wouldn't even make it home.  
__If ya know what I mean…  
__***Wiggles eyebrows***_

They probably wouldn't have left the house in the first place, hehe...

_Focus! _

Why was she telling him all this?  
To punish him?  
Oh wait, she wasn't done yet...

Charley looked him straight in the eye as she gave the final blow.  
"And he gave me a kiss on the cheek before he gave me his number and left…"

Low, Charley girl.  
Boring too.  
But very low.

_You got it coming, dude._

Maybe.  
But he sort of wished that she would just yell at him.  
This was so much worse.  
This made him sick to the stomach.

"Sounds like a decent guy indeed…"  
He tried.  
He really tried.  
But he failed to cover up his disgust.  
It practically dripped off his face.  
"Boring if ya ask me…"

_Mamma mia, here we go again.  
__My, my...  
__You were supposed to make things better, not worse._

What can I say?  
It's a gift.  
But yeah, that was the plan.  
That was the plan _before _this blow below the belt coming from her.  
The look on her face, the spark in her eyes…  
It made him sick to the stomach.

_A logic response, but one you need to keep for yourself.  
__She doesn't need to know.  
__What do ya think she will think of ya if you tell her that you feel…  
__**Rejected**__?  
__Even worse…  
__That you're actual __**jealous**__?  
__Ugh.  
__How is that macho and manly, huh?_

But really, it made him sick to the stomach.

_Yeah, yeah, just tell her you're sorry and…_

You're not listening.  
It made him like… REAL sick to the stomach.

_Oh.  
__As in; you're about to puke your guts all over her?_

Yeah.

_Oh gosh.  
__That would make things so much worse._

Geez, ya think?

"Why can't you just be happy for me?", Charley asked sharply, completely unaware of his inner battle.  
Of course she was, he was the master of disguise after all.  
Next to the master of disaster.  
Vinnie looked into her, again, fuming green eyes.  
"I _am_ happy for ya…"

_LIAR._

"You have a weird way of showing it."

_DUH._

"I'm just looking out for ya, you deserve a cool dude and not some boring nerd who gives ya flowers."

_Smooth.  
__Subtle.  
__Not referring to yourself at all…_

Charley narrowed her eyes.  
"Someone like you, you mean?"

_Oh shit.  
__Busted._

The nausea became worse.  
This was the icing on the cake of an already fucked up night.  
He needed to get the hell outta here.  
"So you think I'm cool, huh?", he asked as he winked at her.

_Nice save, dude._

You said it.  
His voice was a little lower than usual.  
His charming smile was less charming.  
His eyes probably weren't twinkling like they used to.  
But hey, still a nice save.

_Chapeau. _

Charley threw her hands in the air in frustration.  
"Never mind, why should I even_ try_ to have a normal conversation with you? Everything is a joke to you. I'm done for today. Good night."  
And she turned around and left the garage to her small two bedroom apartment that was upstairs.

_I'm sorry, Charley girl…  
__But you came too close..._

Happy that it was her who retreated, Vinnie jumped on his bike.  
After pushing a few buttons, the lights in the garage went out and one of the big doors opened.  
The engine came to life, roaring loudly, perfectly able to function with a broken screw.

_Wish I could say the same…_

Vinnie hit the accelerator and when he was out, the door closed behind him.  
Pushing his bike to the limits, he sped through the empty and now dark streets of Chicago.  
He kept seeing that look on her face.  
That dreamy expression.  
Gosh, was this even real?  
Was this really happening?

_It feels more like a nightmare to me..._

The pain in his heart was too much to bear.  
The jealousy still made him sick to the stomach.  
Guess it's safe to say that it's true.  
Ya know, that you only know what you have till it's gone?

_Man, it's not like she died or something…_

That would be less bad…

_What?_

Okay, that sounded terrible.  
Downright selfish too.  
But he couldn't, he just fucking _couldn't_ stand the thought that she was in love.  
In love with someone else.  
It made him furious.  
At himself, that is.

I mean, _come on_!  
He's the velocity atrocity.  
Motocross Champion of the Galaxy.  
But this time, he had been too slow.

_Slow?  
__Now just wait a minute…_

**No**.  
He had been too fucking slow.  
He'd waited too long to tell Charley how he really felt about her.  
And now…  
He was too late.

_Man, this sucks!  
__Big time!  
__Next to the fact you were too slow, you also lost the girl.  
__Goddammit…_

His foot slammed on the brake pedal and his bike came to halt with shrieking brakes.  
Vinnie jumped off as he pulled off his helmet in the process and stumbled a few steps before falling on his knees.  
And there it was.  
Bending over, he puked his guts out on the floor.  
Tears jumped in his eyes because of the force with which his body was getting rid of his stomach contents.  
Ouch...

_You, mister van Wham, are such a bad loser…_

I know, okay?  
Why do ya think I always win?  
Jesus…  
Such a waste of good food.

But this wasn't only about losing.  
It was losing the price that hurt so much.  
Charley…  
Usually, he wasn't one who kept thinking _'what if'_.  
I mean, he used to live in the moment.  
A thing he was fine with.  
Made things a lot easier, most of the time.  
But now, all he could think of was; _what if_?

_What if I told her?  
__What if I told her before all of this could happen?  
__What if I told her that…  
__...that I love her…?_

Maybe even more important at this moment…  
How, for fuck sake _how_ was he gonna move on?  
Move on with his life, seeing her everyday?  
Seeing the girl, who he loved so much, being in love with someone else?  
Pretending that everything was okay?  
Pretending that he was indeed happy for her?

_Good question._

You mean, questions.  
As in plural.

_**FUCK.  
**__Who cares about the details?!  
__Question, question__**s**__…  
__There was only one lousy answer after all._

He couldn't.

* * *

_'I'm sorry for blaming you..._  
_For everything I just couldn't do..._  
_And I've hurt myself by hurting you...'_


	3. Chapter 3

Hey you guys...

Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews!  
Feel very humbled, that's all I can say.  
No words.

So, next chapter.  
Hope you guys like it.  
Enjoy, and feel free to leave a review!  
Always very much appreciated.

Later dudes!

PS: For those who read Lost In The Echo; I'm having a little break on that story for now.  
Need some time to think about how to work out the plan that's in my head.  
But it is one big chaos right now.  
So, not to worry, it will get updated. I just don't know when.

PPS: I really hope that none of you guys is named James.  
Just in case; I think it's a nice name, but Vinnie... ah well, Vinnie is Vinnie.  
You'll see what I mean. Hehe.  
As long as you know that I would never have the intention to offend someone.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"You can ruuuuun… But you can't hide!", Vinnie exclaimed as he followed a few goons who were trying to make a run for it.  
But the white-furred mouse had other plans.  
He hit the accelerator and his finger made its way to the button on his handlebar.  
All ready to shoot these fucking clowns to the seventh galaxy.  
For keeps, this time.

_Right where they belonged, goddammit..._

"Wow, wow, wow! Easy now, adrenaline mouse!"  
Vinnie hit the brakes to avoid a crash with his older bro.  
Who blocked his way, completely outta nowhere.  
Right before impact, the red racing bike came to a halt with shrieking tires.  
The smell of burning rubber filled Vinnie's nose when he opened his visor.

_Does he have a deathwish or something?  
__Jesus, that was one dangerous move...  
__I love it!_

"What are ya doing, they're getting away!", Vinnie yelled agitated at his leader and dearest friend.  
"Exactly. Because they lost. And hunting them down as if they are sheep isn't our style, and you know that!", Throttle snapped back.  
"Maybe we should make it our style. I mean, no matter how many times we kick their asses, they always come back. But they can't come back if they're dead, now can they? Huh?"

_You need to calm down, macho mouse.  
__You're overreacting._

"We should kill them. Kill them all! Maybe then we have a chance of winning this goddamn war! Maybe _then_ we have a chance of going back home!"  
His voice cracked of emotion.  
He squeezed his handlebars with so much strength, he was surprised they didn't break off.  
His heart was racing in his chest.  
His throat was burning.

_Man…  
__You're close to losing your shit, dude.  
__**Too**__ close._

Geez, I wonder why, goddammit.

Throttle lowered his glasses and studied his younger, and clearly upset, bro.  
Then, he placed it back and let out a heavy sigh.  
"Vincent, what is up with you? You're just not your usual happy self lately..."

_Oh god, are we gonna have… the talk?  
__Puhlease, spare me the bullshit._

Modo stopped next to Vinnie.  
"Throttle is right, bro. I never heard ya complain before about returning fights. What's eating ya?"

_He's right, ya know.  
__Too much is never enough, remember?_

The white-furred mouse gritted his teeth.  
His left ear twitched, a sign that he was close to really losing his shit.  
But he tried to fight back.  
This wasn't his bro's fault, after all.  
It all had something to do with a certain mechanic, a super boring guy named James (_ugh_) and a broken heart.

_Don't tell them.  
__Never lower your walls, remember?  
__You always end up alone.  
__Hurt._

But this were his bro's.  
His buddies.  
His… family.  
They would never leave him, right?  
They would never hurt him, right?

_That's what you thought about your parents too.  
__About your sister.  
__About… Harley._

Okay, okay, enough.  
No need to rip open old wounds.  
Point taken.

"Nothing is eating me, it's just… It's just that this war seems endless. So I say; let's put a damper on their style. Let's end this. For once and for all. So we can go home."  
His voice failed him.  
His voice gave away that there was so much more to it.  
Besides… since when was he this anxious to go home?

_Be ever so humble…  
__There's no place like home..._

He suddenly felt homesick as never before.  
He suddenly yearned to feel the red sand under his feet.  
To smell the scent that defined Mars.  
To feel the sun burning merciless on his head.  
Most of all; he yearned to be at a place that was as far away from Charley as possible.

_Goddammit.  
__What a mess._

The past few weeks had been rough on him.  
Charley… Charley had it good, alright.  
Almost every night, she was out.  
Out with him.  
_James.  
_The name alone was enough to make him feel sick again.  
I mean, why the hell would you call your son James?  
Damn, that's close to child's abuse.

_So mature._

Thanks.

Anyway.  
Increasingly often, she was gone when they came to the garage.  
Out.  
With him.  
_James.  
_Ugh.

_Yeah, yeah, we get the point.  
__You hate his guts._

Duh.  
At least she didn't let them starve.  
That would be something.  
No, she always made sure that there was a meal lined up for them.  
But eating it without her presence was…  
...just not the same.

_Talk about an understatement.  
__Wasn't exaggerating one of your gifts?_

Not now it wasn't.  
It was too painful.

_Fair enough._

And to make things even worse, the few times that she was home…  
That she was there to have dinner with them, well…  
She wasn't really there, ya know what I mean?  
Playing with her food, with that dreamy expression on her face…  
That smile.  
That stupid smile that penetrated his soul.  
Over and over again.  
God, the things he would do to have a chance to powder that smile off her face…

_Wow, wow, wow, hold it!  
__So to speak, I hope?_

Of course.  
He would never do anything to hurt Charley.

_Oh really…?_

Well, not on purpose that is...

Because he tried.  
He really tried.  
He really did everything within his power to pretend that he was okay with it.  
That he was happy for her.  
But gosh, that was hard.  
Too many times their conversation ended up in a fight.  
Too many times he said things he didn't wanna say.

_And man, the look on her face.  
__The pain in her eyes…_

Yeah well…  
What did she expect anyway?  
That he was gonna accept James?  
That he was gonna welcome the guy with open arms?  
Like; '_Hey ya, welcome to the family, let us all sing kumbaya together now while we sit around a campfire and be all happy happy joy joy._'

Ugh, _come on_.  
As if.  
One; the guy was hunting in _his_ territory.  
Two; he stole _his_ girl.

_She ain't yours and you know it._

Oh, he knew alright.  
The pain was a superb reminder.  
A reminder of his own failure.  
Of his busted ego.  
More important; of his broken heart.

"This is about Charley, isn't it?"  
Throttle's calm and husky voice broke Vinnie outta his thoughts.  
His head jerked up.  
His fur bristled.  
All ready to defend himself.  
Atta boy.

_I dunno, macho mouse...  
__Maybe you should tell them…_

No.

"What? I've got no idea what you're talking about…"  
He saw Throttle and Modo sharing a look.  
Oh boy.  
There it was.  
Time for _the talk_.  
It was amazing how long his bro's had managed to keep their mouth shut.  
After all the fights they had witnessed.  
One last, desperate attempt...  
"Charley's got nothing to do with this."

_Ha!  
__Who are you trying to convince anyway?  
__They know you.  
__Better than yourself, most of the time._

Shut up, goddammit!

Panic was slowly taking over.  
He wasn't easily scared.  
Hell no, he was Vinnie van Wham, after all.  
And panic was an emotion he wasn't that familiar with.

But the thought alone that they were gonna force him to open up…  
To make him talk about..._ this_, was enough.  
Enough to make his hands shake.  
To make his breathing heavier.  
To make his heart almost exploding outta his chest.

_Easy now, van Wham.  
__Just… breathe._

That's your advice?  
Breathe?  
How was he supposed to breathe, huh?  
TELL ME!

_Well, that's simple.  
__In through the nose.  
__Out through the mouth.  
__Or was it the other way around?_

You're useless.  
Absolutely fucking useless.

_Fuck you._

He saw Modo looking at him.  
Uh oh.  
Here we go…  
"It must be hard for you, ya know… to see Charley with another guy."

_BAM!  
__Bullseye.  
__Code red.  
__Instant._

Vinnie opened his mouth to deny it.  
But he didn't trust his voice.  
So he closed it again.  
Instead, to give away his annoyance and distress, he folded his arms and put his chin in the air.  
The paragon of a child who didn't get its way.

_Man, grow up…_

Clearly, Modo wasn't impressed.  
Nor he was done.  
"To be honest, I ain't exactly sure about it either. I mean, even if we never met the guy, he sounds so… well... "  
"Boring?"  
It already left his mouth before he could blink.

_So far for not talking…_

Hey, he never said he was consistent.

Modo shrugged.  
"Something like that. It just ain't fit, ya know?"

_I KNOW RIGHT!  
__HIS NAME IS __**JAMES**__!  
__Enough said.  
__Damn._

"It's not up to us to judge. She seems happy. Guess that's all that matters, right?", Throttle contradicted with a frown on his face.

_Oh…  
__So uh… so you see that too, huh?  
__That she's happy…_

"You're right, bro. But still… I just can't help having the feeling there's more to it. I can't explain, it's just a hunch", Modo sighed.  
"More to it? How so?", Vinnie blurted out.  
Eager to hear something that perhaps could work in his advantage.  
"I dunno… As if she's trying to make a point, for whatever reason…"

_Oh?_

Vinnie's heart skipped a beat.  
He gave his older bro a hopeful glance...  
But Modo already shook his head.  
"Never mind, forget that I said that. Throttle is right, she's happy and that's all that matters."

_AAARGGHHH!_

The scream almost left Vinnie's mouth.  
But he stopped it right on time.  
Thank god he did.  
What if he didn't?  
That would be so awkward.  
Ya know, if he suddenly started to scream like he was Tarzan or something.

_Tarzan?_

Yeah, ya know, that dude who's half naked and lives with apes?  
Who swings through the jungle while throwing out some sort of primal scream?  
Charley once told about him.

_Half naked...?  
__Are there any girls?_

Well, there is one, but she ain't naked, so…

_Okay, you lost me._

Aaaaaaaaanyway…  
Yeah, as long as Charley is happy, right?  
That's all that matters.  
Ugh.  
_Fuck that.  
_What about him, huh?  
Didn't he deserve some happiness?  
After all the shit he had been through?

_Selfish much?_

He never said he wasn't.

"Yeah, sure, why should I care if she's _bored_ to death one day?", Vinnie said sarcastically as he revved his bike.  
"She made her choice and even if you guys seem to think that I care, I really don't. And now, it's time for dinner. Let's ride."  
And after popping a wheelie, he sped away.  
Giving his bro's no chance to react.  
To see the look on his face.  
To maybe even spot his watery eyes.

_Jesus, what the hell is wrong with ya?  
__Why can't you just get over it, huh?  
__There are so many other girls out there…_

Yeah well, not that many Charley's.  
Enough for now.  
Time to eat.

_But…_

NO BUTS!  
Enough with this bullshit!

His bro's caught up with him and guess there's a God after all…  
Because the drive to the garage was one in total silence.  
Not Vinnie's usual style.  
But for now, he was grateful.  
For once, he actually enjoyed the silence.  
He needed this ride to grab himself together.

_You're too far gone to grab yourself together, dude.  
__You're like a bomb, ready to explode..._

True. All true.  
But he had to at least give it a try.  
For his own sake.  
For his bro's sake.  
For Charley's sake.

_Keep dreaming, pal...  
__***Inhales***_

No!  
No, no, no!  
Do _NOT_ start to sing.  
Don't you dare to...

'_Cause you're T.N.T!  
__You're dynamite!_

_***Sigh*  
**_You're not helping.  
At all…

_That was just too easy.  
__Hehe. _

Stop talking.

***Whispers*  
**_T.N.T…  
__Watch me explooooooode…_

Bite hard and shut tight, goddammit.

_Okay, okay, jesus…  
__Buzzkill..._

When they were close to the garage, the door already opened.  
Vinnie was the first one to drive inside, but he suddenly hit the brakes.

_What the..._

His bro's almost crashed into him.  
And boy, they were not amused.  
"Give us a little heads up the next time you wanna perform a stunt like that, will ya, Vincent?", Throttle said annoyed.  
"Yeah, almost scratched the paint of Lil Hoss just now…", Modo added.  
But Vinnie ignored them.  
His eyes were fixed on the guy that was standing in the middle of the garage.

_Welly well well…  
__If it ain't mister nerd himself.  
__**James…  
**__Ugh..._

James his eyes grew big and for a moment, they just stared at each other.  
But then, without giving any warning, the guy dove behind the desk that was in the corner.  
"P-please, don't hurt me! If you want m-m-money, I d-don't know where it is! You can look if you want, b-b-b-but p-please… d-don't hurt me!"

_Wait, __**what**__?  
__Was this guy even serious?_

Vinnie blinked a few times before he shared a confused look with his bro's.  
But his lips slowly curled into a smile.  
For a moment, just for this one moment, this whole fucked up scene was turned into something that was more than hilarious.  
_This_ was the guy Charley was dating?  
Charley, badass Charley, was dating… _him_?  
The guy who was hiding behind a desk because he thought they were robbers?

…

_BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

Could you believe this shit?  
Man.  
This was a joke.  
The guy was a joke.

_Did you see the look on his face?  
__Oh man, priceless._

Throttle let out a soft chuckle in amusement as he shook his head.  
Then he signed to Modo and Vinnie to keep their helmets on.  
No surprise there.  
Throttle didn't like it when someone found out about their… secret.  
He trusted nobody.  
Only Charley.  
Although Vinnie seriously started to doubt her sanity right now.

_Why's that?_

Well, that's easy.  
How can she be straight in the head and date this loser at the same time?

_Hehehe.  
__Good question._

"We're not here for the money, citizen", Throttle broke the awkward silence.  
James his head popped up from behind the desk, his brown eyes still wide open.  
"You're not?"  
"Nope…"  
"Oh."  
He cleared his throat as his cheeks turned redder than red.  
Slowly, he came from behind the desk, chuckling uncomfortably.  
"So uh… ahem…uhm… you're looking for something else then?"

_Did he really just ask that?  
__As if he was running the garage now?_

"Yeah, we are. But you ain't pretty enough to be it", Vinnie snorted.  
The moment was gone.  
Just like that.  
Taking the amusement along with it.  
The anger, resentment, and oh, don't forget the frustration, had already filled the void again.

_That didn't take long…  
_

Of course not.  
He was one known for being temperamental.  
Even erratic, sometimes.  
One of his less charming qualities.  
"He means that we're looking for Charley ma'am", Modo said patiently.  
"Charley… Oh, you mean_ Charlene_?"

_**Charlene**__?  
__I think I'm gonna be sick again._

Vinnie narrowed his eyes and slid off his bike.  
But all of a sudden, Throttle was standing on his right.  
Modo on his left.  
"Uh, yeah", the tan-furred mouse nodded as he laid a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.  
"You must be James. Can we help ya with something?", Modo asked.  
The guy ran a shaking hand through his black hair and adjusted his glasses.  
"I came here to surprise Charlene, but she isn't home."

'_Icameheretosurprisecharlene…'  
__Ugh._

"So, you decided to just break in to wait for her, huh?", Vinnie asked with a dangerously low voice.  
Man, he was about to crack.  
Only seeing the guy who took away his one and only reason to fight for...  
The guy who took away his hope...  
Well, that was enough, alright.  
More than enough.  
Throttle squeezed his shoulder, to let him know that he needed to keep his calm.

_I'm trying, trust me, I am…  
__Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three..._

"Oh no! My dear lord, I would never break in! The door was open!", James called out startled.

_Twenty...  
__**My dear lord**__?  
__Where did she find this guy anyway?_

_Where was I?  
__Oh, right...  
__Twenty four, twenty five..._

His ruby red eyes followed James who bend over to pick up a bouquet of roses.  
_Roses…  
_"Ya do know that she hates roses?", Vinnie blurted out.

_Oops…  
__Hehehe.  
__Twenty six, twenty seven..._

James looked at the roses for a moment.  
Then, he looked at Vinnie.  
And for a moment, a hint of arrogance and smugness was visible in his brown eyes.

_Don't forget to mention that stupid smile on his ugly face…_

COUNT, MACHO MOUSE, COUNT!

_Okay, okay, jesus. Chill man.  
__Twenty eight, twenty nine..._

Vinnie flexed his muscles.  
So, about that T.N.T…  
There wasn't that much needed to push him over the edge.  
Guess it's safe to say that James his answer was gonna be crucial.  
Crucial to decide what was gonna happen next…

"Then I probably know her better than you do, because I happen to know that she loves roses…"

_Thirty..._  
_Know her better than…  
__WHAT?!  
__That's it.  
__Enough is just enough.  
__Let's get him._

Ah well.  
He never really was good at counting.

Vinnie yanked himself free and marched straight towards James.  
He clenched his fist in the process and without slowing down, he lashed out and punched the nerd called James straight on the nose.  
The cracking sound that followed was more than satisfying.

_DAMN, that felt good!_

I know, right?!

_Aaaoooww, hell yeah!  
__One more time!  
__Ah one, ah two…  
__Ah one, two, three..._

But before he could, he felt two strong hands grabbing his arms.  
One metal, one flesh.

_No, no, no, lemme go!  
__I ain't done yet!  
__Far from it, goddammit!_

He struggled to get loose, but Modo was strong.  
Too strong.  
The strongest of the three of them, to be honest.  
Even Vinnie couldn't deny that.  
"Come on, Vinnie, chill. He ain't worth the trouble…", Modo whispered in his right ear.  
"Trust me, he _is_, goddammit!", Vinnie growled back, still fighting to get out of Modo's grip.  
What, of course, was no use.  
The guy was like a tank alright.

_Well, not even a tank is gonna be able to stop me now!  
__I'm just getting warmed up!_

Modo dragged the still struggling white-furred mouse away from James.  
Who, to Vinnie's great amusement, was holding his nose in an attempt to stop the blood that poured out.

_HA!  
__Serves him right.  
__Don't provoke mice if ya can't pay the price.  
__Sucker..._

Anyway, about that tank…  
It seemed that Modo was perfectly able to stop his angry and hurt little bro from attacking James again.  
And it made Vinnie even more furious.  
He did everything within his power to get loose.  
The guy needed to pay, alright.  
BIG TIME.  
Just when Throttle wanted to interfere, a loud voice echoed against the walls of the garage.

"What the HELL is going on here?"

_Uh oh…  
__There is the lady herself…  
__And ooh boy, was he in trouble now..._


	4. Chapter 4

You guys...

Thank you so, so much for the reviews.  
Can't say it enough.  
Also a big thanks to those who favorited and followed this story.  
It makes me feel less alone in this world.  
So yeah, uhm... thanks.  
Hehe.

Anyway, time for the next chapter.  
Hope you guys like it.  
Enjoy and feel free to leave a review.  
Till next time, dudes!

Later!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Vinnie stopped struggling as he looked over his shoulder.  
Straight into a pair of beautiful green eyes.  
Which were wide open in shock.  
But there was already a hint of anger.

_Oh shit...  
__Or as James himself would say: oh my dear lord..._

Charley's gaze landed on James and she covered her mouth with her right hand.  
"Oh my god, did you… did y-you just...", she stuttered.

_She usually never stutters.  
__That could only mean trouble._

Vinnie braced himself, ready for anything…  
"Oh no, James, are you okay?", Charley asked worried as she rushed over to him.

_Anything but that…_

His ruby red eyes followed her every movement.  
How she laid a hand on James his shoulder.  
How she tried to pull his hand away from his nose, so she could take a look.  
How she whispered soothingly to calm him down.

_Ugh._

This was… sickening.  
To watch them.  
Beyond sickening.  
Vinnie wasn't sure what word could cover the load.  
Horrible.  
Gross.  
Disgusting.  
Nasty.  
Yucky.

_Hmmm..._  
_Yucky..._

Yeah, he kinda liked the sound of that…

_You do know that nobody's forcing ya to watch this, right?  
__I mean, you can just walk away..._

Good point.  
Vinnie yanked himself free and pushed Modo out of his way.  
The gray-furred giant tried to grab him again, but Vinnie dodged his hands.  
As he rushed to the door, he vaguely heard Throttle calling his name.  
Telling him to come back.  
But there was this high beep in his ears…  
This weird pressure against his eardrums...  
Air.  
He needed fresh air.  
His anger…

_You mean pain._

No, his anger…

_No, your pain.  
__The anger is only there because you don't wanna feel your pain.  
__Anger is safer than pain..._

WHATEVER MAN!  
His… _emotions_ were overwhelming him.  
Happy now?

_It's getting there._

Once outside in the adjacent alley, he ripped off his helmet and threw it away in one movement.  
At this point, he couldn't care less about being discovered.  
He needed fresh air.  
Before he was gonna faint.  
That would be something.  
The great Vinnie van Wham who faints.  
That was even too much for his, he would like to say _flawless_ reputation to bear.

_Is this how a panic attack feels like?_

Shut up.  
This was no panic.  
This was anger.  
Frustration.  
Jealousy.

_You forget regret.  
__Oh, and self-loathing.  
__And shame…  
__And agony..._

Okay, okay!  
I get the point.  
Jesus.

His tail lashed through the air.  
_Fuck.  
_There was only one word that could capture all this.  
_Lost.  
_He was lost.  
Completely lost.  
I mean, who was he kidding anyway?  
Without Charley, being here on Earth was so… pointless.  
Without Charley, he had nothing left to fight for.  
He was a rebel without a cause.  
He…

"Vinnie! Don't you dare to just walk away from me!"

_Excuuuuuse me?_

He spun around and pointed a finger at Charley.  
"You really need to _STOP_ ordering me around like that! You have _no_ right, not anymore!", he spit out.  
Charley stopped for a moment, clearly she wasn't expecting this.  
Vinnie couldn't blame her.  
She knew he had a temper.  
But he'd never let it out on her before.

_Well, ya know what they say…  
__There's a first time for everything._

And he was already regretting it.  
She didn't deserve to be his target.  
To be a casualty of his anger.  
This wasn't really her fault.

_Wasn't it?  
__I mean, she ain't exactly taking account of your feelings, man..._

Maybe not, but then again...  
How can someone take account of feelings from one who never expresses them in the first place?

_Your point is well taken._

Charley recovered from the first shock.  
Her eyes narrowed and her angry glare now almost burned a hole in his skull.  
Vinnie looked back, almost challenging.  
Provoking.  
His left ear twitched again.

_Bring it on._

And with that, the interrogation began.  
Defendant: Vincent 'Vinnie' van Wham.  
Interrogator: Charlene 'Charley' Davidson.  
The defendant is a prime suspect of abusing an innocent citizen and is facing another felony count in being stubborn as fuck.  
The interrogator is not amused and determined to break the suspect in order to get some answers.  
Deposition starts with the most obvious question:  
"Why did you hit him?"

_Oh, Charley girl…  
__And here I was, thinking you were a smart girl…  
__The direct approach is counterproductive, ya know..._

"I didn't like his face, all right?"  
"What? You can't just hit someone because you don't like his face!"

_You're never gonna be able to break me..._

"I can. I just did."  
"You should know better. What is wrong with you lately?"

_You're never gonna be able to force me to open up.  
__Gotta admit though... it's cute that you make the effort._

"Nothing."  
"It's obvious that you have a problem. And you are gonna tell me what it is. This is gone on long enough."

_You can try…  
__But it ain't gonna happen.  
__Not now.  
__Not ever._

Charley was now standing in front of him, her hands resting on her hips.  
Her big green eyes were watching him closely.  
Studying his face as if he was nothing more but a, I dunno, biology project or something.  
Well, no matter what name he gave it...  
It made him feel more than uncomfortable.  
He suddenly felt so small.  
Naked.  
Vulnerable.

_Hmmm…  
__Maybe she's gonna be able to break you after all..._

Oh, hell no.  
He needed to get outta here.  
She was getting too close.  
_Way_ too close.  
Shit was about to get real.  
And he didn't wanna be there to witness it.  
But it was as if she could read his mind.  
"You're not going anywhere. We are gonna talk about this, right here, right now."

_Make me, goddammit.  
__No, just kidding.  
__Please don't._

He needed to walk away.  
Right here.  
Right now.  
But he couldn't.  
He somehow didn't have the heart to just walk away.  
To turn his back on her.  
_Her.  
_Charley.  
She was too important.

_Okay, well then… then deny it!  
__Just deny it!  
__Deny everything!_

"There's nothing to talk about, I already told you…"  
"You're lying. You've been cranky for weeks now."  
"I am not…"  
"You are. And now you've just hit my boyfriend without having a good reason…"  
"His face is reason enough…"  
"You are gonna tell me…"

His heartbeat rose.  
_Everything you say to me..._

"...right here, right now…"

Sweat started to form on his forehead.  
_...takes me one step closer to the edge..._

"...what is bothering you…"

Breathing became more difficult.  
_...and I'm about to..._

"...and I won't stop until you've told me what your problem is and why you..."

Something clicked in his head.  
_...break._

ENOUGH!

Charley stopped mid-sentence and stared at him.  
Oh, did he say that last word out loud just now?  
_Oops.  
_Ah well.  
No going back now.  
His tail lashed through the air.  
He clenched his fists.

"You really wanna know what my problem is?!"

_Say no..._

"Yes."

_Ugh...  
__Here goes nothing..._

"_YOU_ are my problem!"

_Smooth. Subtle.  
__NOT.  
__Maybe you should stop talking now ya still can..._

No way.  
No fucking way.  
She was right, ya know.  
About things going on long enough.  
Time to come clean.  
Fuck this shit.

_No…  
__No, no, no, you can't just…_

You think I can't?  
Well, watch me.

_Fine!  
__I rest my case.  
Asshole._

Vinnie marched over to Charley and stopped right in front of her.  
He looked down on her, breathing heavily.  
She was looking back, her green eyes wide open.  
Anger, confusion, pain, even regret…  
It was all in there.  
And it almost took away his courage.  
_Almost_.  
But in for a penny, in for a pound.  
Enough was enough.  
He just couldn't take it anymore.

'_Cause you're T.N.T. ..._

SHUT UP!

"You being with James, that is my problem!"  
"Why? Why can't you just be…"

_If she's gonna say happy…_

"...happy for me, huh?"

_Ah, there it was.  
__Jesus.  
__Such a clincher._

"Why does it bother you this much?"

_Honestly…  
__Do I need to spell it out?!_

"Why do you care so much?"

_Apparently, I do.  
__Need to spell it out._

Oh...  
Shit…  
Suddenly, his determination vanished like smoke in the wind.  
He couldn't tell her.  
He just couldn't.  
After everything that he went through…  
The losses.  
How many times did he end up alone?

_Too many times…  
__Too many goddamn times…_

Right.  
He'd made a promise to himself.  
That day… that awful day.  
That day when he completely lost hope for the first time.  
After fighting for years.  
After years of misery…  
That day…  
That one day was enough.  
Enough to learn how strong despair could be.  
And that day, he'd almost given up.  
Almost…

_In this case, __**almost **__is the same as all the way.  
__Weak, that's what it was.  
__You were weak, that day._

Maybe.  
Maybe not.  
But he'd made a promise to himself.  
He would never allow _anyone_ to come close.  
Never, _ever_ again.  
It was a heavy and painful burden to carry.  
Ya know, losing someone.  
Too heavy.  
Too painful.

Too painful to lose someone you deeply love.  
Someone who's keeping you together.  
Too heavy to fall apart.  
Over and over again.

_That's why you're better off alone, dude.  
__If there's no one close to you, you can't be hurt.  
__It's as simple as that._

"I asked you something, Vinnie. Why do you care so much? Tell me!"

_But then there's Charley…_

Charley.  
The first person who was able to give him back that one thing he'd lost that day.  
Something he so desperately needed.  
Hope.  
She had given him back hope.

_Hope is a dangerous thing for those who live in a war, and you know it..._

Oh, he knew, alright.  
He'd tried to deny it.  
For almost three years, he'd tried to bury his head in the sand.  
But this was it.  
He couldn't flee, not anymore.  
He couldn't lie to himself, not anymore.  
Nor could he lie to her.  
He loved her.  
And he needed to stop pushing her away.

_No, don't do it.  
__You're putting your soul on the line here..._

So?  
As if he had something left to lose.

_Aside from your self-respect?  
__Well, lemme think…  
__How about your flawless reputation, huh?  
__Which ain't gonna be that flawless anymore if you're gonna do what you're about to do..._

Fuck that.  
Again, something clicked in his head.  
And suddenly, everything became clear.  
Suddenly, there was no other option but to tell the truth.  
To lower his walls.  
To let her in.  
To let her take a look inside his head.  
To show her the darkness that was whirling deep inside of him.  
To reach out.  
To ask her to save him.  
Because she was the only one who could.  
Save him.

Without her, everything was lost.  
Without her, _he_ was lost.  
Because even if hope was dangerous…  
It was all he had.  
All he _needed _to keep going.  
To find his way in this fucked up and cruel world.

_So mushy…_

Maybe, but it's the truth.  
The truth and nothing else but the truth.  
He had his demons.  
Even him.  
_Especially_ him.  
He needed her.  
And _that's_ as simple as that, goddammit.  
He took a deep breath.  
"I care because you gave me a reason to fight again."

_Ooh boy…  
__Here we go…  
__Well, don't say I didn't warn ya…  
__So goddamn stubborn..._

Charley froze.  
Her eyes grew big in surprise.  
He couldn't really blame her.  
This was probably the first time that he said something to her that actual made sense.  
The first time that he was being completely honest.  
Being deathly serious.  
And he wasn't done yet.  
Oh, no.  
He was just getting started.  
He knew what to do now.  
He needed to open up.  
And that was what he was gonna do.  
And nobody, not even himself, was gonna be able to stop him.

_But…_

NO BUTS.

"Because you gave me back hope…"  
His voice was about to break.

_Oh god.  
__Don't.  
__Don't break.  
__Just… hang on._

Vinnie took a deep breath...

_Okay, fine!  
__Let's get this over with!  
_

"You have no idea what this war has done to me. You have no idea what it did to me when I saw my home crumbling into dust, when I saw the ones I love die right in front of me in the most gruesome ways… You have no idea what it did to me when they cut in my face while I was wide awake, to see them torture my bro's… It left scars on my soul, too deep to erase. And then, on top of it all… I lost Harley…"

_Harley…  
__Ah man…  
__Harley..._

"She just vanished into thin air and took my hope, my _everything_ with her. I was completely lost. A few times I came close, _too_ close, to giving up. But then I met you and all of a sudden, everything made sense again. You gave me back a reason to live. A reason to fight. And now you… you're with that… _that_ guy and… dammit! I'm lost again! Because without you, there's nothing left to fight for. Can't you see? I _love_ you, you stupid human. With my whole damaged heart and soul, I love you…"

_That was one memorable speech you gave there, macho mouse.  
__Now, pull yourself together before you'll even start to cry, goddammit.  
__Because then all bets are off._

Not to worry, mate.  
Because one thing's for sure...  
He wasn't gonna cry.  
He hadn't shed a tear in years.  
He was out of practice.  
But the signs were there.  
That he knew.  
And it suddenly hit him.  
Did he really just said that?  
All that?  
Out loud?

_You did..._

Oh shit.  
He hardly dared to look her in the eye.  
The shame made him wanna hide somewhere.  
Hide to never emerge, ever again.

_Hiding is for the weak.  
__You, my friend, ain't weak.  
__Besides, you wanted this, so stop being such a pussy. _

So, he stood his ground.  
Even looked her straight in the eye.  
Almost challenging.  
To hide his insecurity.  
Because that's what he was at this very moment.  
Insecure.  
Maybe even scared.

_Ugh._

He'd lowered his walls just now.  
He'd taken off his mask.  
And he felt naked like never before.

_By all the Gods and the sweet holy Mothers of Mars…  
__What was she gonna say?_

Charley was still staring at him with her mouth open.  
He could almost see the wheels turning.  
His heart was racing in his chest.  
The silence was long.  
Suffocating.

_The suspense is killing me here, man!  
__I can't watch!_

His left ear twitched.  
So did the tip of his tail.  
This was nerve-wracking.

_Dammit, woman!  
__Speak up!  
__I can't take this much longer! _

Vinnie studied her face.  
Desperately searching for a sign.  
A sign that she was gonna snap out of it.  
Finally, he saw something change.  
And it made him even more scared.  
Oh shit…

_Run, Vinnie, RUN!_

Apparently, him being unable to cry wasn't gonna stop Charley.  
Oh no.  
Far from it.  
Her amazing eyes became watery.  
Her lower lip started to tremble.  
Her eyebrows switched to a position that made her beautiful face so sad all of a sudden.  
Terribly sad.  
Awfully sad.  
As a matter of fact, he had never seen her this sad.  
Never.  
And it broke his already scarred heart.

_Get the hell outta here and let her cry in peace, for fuck sake.  
__You ain't good with crying women._

Excellent point.  
And he almost made a run for it.  
Seeing her like this triggered that part of him that wasn't triggered that often.  
Panic.  
But he couldn't just walk away, now could he?  
Not after coming this far.  
Not after baring his soul like this.

_Why not?  
__You always do.  
__Run.  
__To avoid you're being disappointed again._

Yeah, he did.  
It was a tactic he sure as hell didn't appreciate.  
I mean, look where it got him, huh?  
Here he was.  
All alone.  
Unhappy.  
Damaged.  
Even worse, damaged beyond repair.

The time had come to do things differently.  
Because if he would run away now, disappointment wasn't the only thing he would avoid.  
He would also give up his one and only chance at happiness.  
A chance to be whole again.

_Oh, come on!  
__You make it sound like some sappy fairytale.  
_'_And they lived happily ever after.'  
__Yucky._

Really?

Is that gonna be your new way to express yourself?  
Yucky?

_Maybe…_

Aaaaanyway...  
Here he was.  
Completely exposed.  
With a woman who was about to break down crying.  
That was enough for code red.  
"No, no, no, don't cry, sweetheart, please… Don't cry for me…", he mumbled as he reached out his hands.  
But he pulled them back almost the same time, as if she was on fire or something.  
Goddammit.  
He had no idea how to handle this.  
This wasn't his expertise.  
Far from it.  
"I ain't worth crying for…"

_Wauw, that was…  
__That was just…  
__...heartbreaking…  
__I guess…  
__Man…  
__I think…  
__I think I've got something in my eye..._

Charley looked up at him, her face expression still so heartbreakingly sad.  
She was searching for words, he could tell.  
Her mouth that opened and closed was the biggest clue.  
Even he understood that signal.

God, his heart was still racing.  
He was surprised it was still working in the first place.  
I mean, this whole thing was more than nerve-wracking.  
At least she was still here.  
That was an asset, right?  
She didn't run away.

_Yet…_

Ah, man, come on!  
At least try to have a little faith here, alright?  
Goddammit!

Charley clearing her throat broke him outta his thoughts again.  
Oh.  
By the looks of things, she was gonna say something now.  
"I… You…"

_Yeah?  
__You what?_

"You have no idea…"  
Again, she trailed off.

_WHAT?  
__AAAARGH, I can't take this anymore!  
__Puhlease, just say it!  
__Anything!  
__I don't care!  
__As long as you say something!_

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say this…"  
Vinnie blinked a few times.

_What?  
__She was…  
__She…  
__But…  
__HUH?_

Charley swallowed with difficulty before she continued.  
"Three years. It took you three years. I gave up hope at two and a half."  
She let out a soft chuckle, but it wasn't one of joy.

Her gaze wandered off.  
"I thought you didn't want me. That it was nothing more but a flirtation. That I was nothing more but a challenge for you. So I decided to move on. For my own sake. To protect myself. Protect myself for being hurt. To avoid a broken heart... "

She looked back at him.  
"And then that night came. The night I went on my first date with James, because I was trying so hard to move on. Never had I expected you reacting the way you did. It brought back feelings I was trying so hard to forget. It gave me hope, actually."

_Okay…  
__And still, she went on that date.  
__With him.  
__**James…  
**__Ugh.  
__Oh, no, I mean; yucky…_

Man…

Vinnie could only stare at her.  
Stare at the way her lips were forming the words.  
This was crazy.  
Beyond crazy.

"But just when I thought you were gonna come clean, you made up another excuse. God, it made me so angry. Also angry at myself. Angry because I allowed myself to have hope. Because that night it became painfully clear that you were too far gone. Your walls were too high, even for you. Even you couldn't climb over them, not anymore. So I went on that date. Thinking back, I did that to hurt you. To rub it in. To let you see that I didn't need you… I'm not sure who I was trying to convince, hehe. But then I came back, and you were still there and again… again, I got my hopes up. And again, you crushed it."

_WHAM!  
__In your face.  
__No mercy.  
__No regrets.  
__See?  
__That's what you get when you open up.  
__A shitload with…_

Stop talking.  
Give her a chance to explain herself.

"And that was the final straw. I decided to give James a chance. Because, between you and me, that first date was a disaster, alright. Well, give him a chance… I guess I decided to use him. To get over you. Guess it's safe to say I used him as a rebound. I know that isn't something to write home about. But it seemed like a good idea back then."

She smiled a little sheepishly as a faint blush spread over her cheeks.  
"Anyway. Things got a little outta hand. Every night I went out with him with the intention to dump him, and yet, every night I came home and nothing was changed. I could see how much it was affecting you, and I… I just couldn't get enough."

_She really played with your feelings like that?  
__Wauw…_

Vinnie wasn't sure whether he needed to be shocked or impressed.  
He stared at her red cheeks.  
At least she had the decency to blush.  
This was a lot to take in.  
And therefore, he was speechless.

Charley glanced up at him from under her lashes.  
"I need to share the wealth. You told me the truth and now… now you deserve to know the truth too..."

_That doesn't sound very promising..._

"The truth is: I enjoyed the fact that you were jealous, that you were suffering. And that is unforgivable. I played with your feelings, I know now, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. How much I regret that decision..."

Oh.  
That wasn't that bad…

_Not that bad?  
__Dude, she just admitted that she hurt you on purpose!  
__How is that not bad?_

Because I like the way this is going.  
Sometimes, the past is just the past.  
And the future…  
The future is all that matters.

_Deep, bro, deep._

Thanks.  
Never thought I had it in me.

"I was fooling both you and me. I wasn't trying to move on. I was provoking you. To be, for the first time since we met, completely honest. But damn, you took your time. And the longer it went on, the more I got scared. To tell you the truth. So, I said nothing… But here we are. Finally being honest to each other…"

_Oh.  
__Oh, Modo's momma...  
__She's feeling the same way.  
__She went through all that trouble only to get your attention.  
__Damn, son…  
__That is low as much as it is impressing...  
__Next to flattering, of course..._

"He told me you like roses", Vinnie blurted out.  
Charley blinked a few times, clearly she wasn't following him.  
Not much of a surprise, though.  
This was one placed in the category '_out of the blue_'.  
"That's why I hit him. He told me you like roses."  
Her face darkened and his heart made another jump.  
"These damn roses… every time, over and over again… he gave me roses… And I don't even…"  
"...like roses…", Vinnie finished her sentence. "I know. I told him."

_Hehehe.  
__Hate to say I told ya so...  
__...__**James.**_

"You did, huh?", she whispered as she came closer.  
Her scent filled his nose.  
That lovely scent of hers...  
It made him dazed.  
"Yeah… I did."  
She was now standing just inches away from him.  
"And what did he say?"  
Her voice was so different.  
Husky.

_Hot damn, such a turn on…_

Vinnie lifted his hand.  
"That he knew you better than I do."  
His fingers made contact with the skin on her cheeks.  
She was so soft.  
Charley closed her eyes, clearly enjoying his touch.  
"Does he? Know me better?"  
Vinnie swallowed with difficulty.  
But then, he leaned forward.  
Right before their noses touched, he stopped.  
His hand was now in her neck.  
"He couldn't be more wrong, sweetheart. I made that one very clear.."  
She smiled with her eyes still closed.  
"Good."

_Is this even real?  
__Or am I dreaming?_

Oh, this was real, alright.  
This was it.  
The moment we've all been waiting for.  
This moment was _the_ proof that being honest and sincere could be profitable.  
He won.  
He_ actual _won.

_Now that's more like it.  
__Congrats, dude!  
__What are you waiting for?  
__Go get your price!  
__You earned it.  
__Big time. _

And so he did.  
He pressed his lips against hers.  
His heart made a small victory dance.  
Along with the rest of his insides.  
To feel her, to taste her, to have her this close...  
Well...

_No words…_

Finally, some peace and quietness…

_Harsh, dude.  
__Harsh._

Hehe.  
Love ya.

The kiss was a little… _uneasy.  
_With him being a super cool mouse and her being a cute human and all...  
But it didn't matter.  
None of all that mattered, not anymore.  
_Nothing else mattered.  
_Because he'd found back his path.  
Because he wasn't wandering around, all alone.  
Because he wasn't lost anymore.  
He was home now.

_Home…  
__Be ever so humble…  
__There's no place like home._

Apparently, home wasn't that far away after all...

* * *

'_You see through right to the heart of me...  
__You break down my walls with the strength of your love...  
__Stay in my arms if you dare...  
__Don't walk away from me...  
__I have nothing if I don't have you…'_


	5. Chapter 5

Hey you guys...  
Thanks again for the reviews!

So, I wrote another chapter.  
And it's kinda... sexy smexy.  
No idea where that came from, hehe.  
Ah well.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a review.  
And thanks for your support, guys.  
Really, it means the world.

Later!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Dude, be careful with those teeth!  
__You're gonna…_

Charley let out a soft moan and broke off the kiss.

_...cut her lip…  
__Man..._

Vinnie stared at her lower lip.  
His ruby red eyes fixated on the small drop of blood that welled up from the small cut.  
Oops.  
Hehe...  
He looked up into her green eyes.  
Expecting to see anger.  
Or annoyance.  
But there was only amusement.  
That's new...  
"Guess we need a little practice with those buckteeth of yours, huh?", she smiled.  
Using her sleeve to put pressure on her lip, she looked back at him with a mischievous spark in her eyes.

_Practice, 'ey?  
__Hmmm…  
__That sounds… promising._

"Guess so…", he mumbled, still staring into her eyes.  
Gosh, she was so beautiful.  
So different.  
He still couldn't get over the fact that he'd kissed her just now.  
That she was feeling the same way.  
That she was his now.  
It felt surreal.  
All of a sudden, he got overwhelmed with desire.  
Burning, unsustainable desire.

_Uh oh..._

You said it.  
Uh oh.  
Not much of a surprise though.  
It had been too long.  
For a mouse who needed sex to deal with his shit, three years was a looooooooong time.  
Three years without having any sort of sexual activity was even longer.  
Man.  
How was it even possible that he was still alive?

_Well, lemme think..._

It was a rhetorical question, dude.  
Keep your head in the game.

_Right, hehe..._

So, about that desire…  
It looked like it was about to come to an end.  
Ya know, his suffering.  
Finally, his time had come.  
The time for redemption was finally here.  
Salvation had never been this close.  
And the list goes on and on…

_You better brace yourself, sweetheart…_

And without giving any warning, he grabbed her.  
Her soft yell in surprise got muted by his mouth as he reclaimed her lips.  
As their first kiss was one in prudence, their second kiss was so much different.  
Guess _heated_ was the right word to describe it.  
He cupped his hands around her head and pushed her against the wall.  
Her hands made their way to his back.  
Her fingers went through his fur.  
When he pushed his lower body against hers, she dug her nails in his flesh.

_Ooh la la, Charley girl…  
__You're playing with fire here…  
__I love it!_

Being completely caught up in the moment, Vinnie's hands slid over her body.  
Feeling her body against his was more than enough to make him yearn for more.  
His whole body was burning, his mind wanting only one thing...  
But at the same time, there was this realization.  
It started with a nagging thought.  
But it suddenly hit him like a hammer.  
Reality literally slapped him in the face.  
Like a cold shower.  
She was so…

_Super sexy?  
__Super hot?  
__Super ready to get laid?_

...fragile.  
I meant fragile.

_Huh?_

His eyes flew open and he broke off the kiss abruptly.  
Breathing heavily, he looked down on her and saw how she opened her eyes.  
How she looked up at him, surprised by this sudden stop.  
"I'm sorry, I can't… I can't do this right now... ", he brought out with difficulty.

_SAY WHAT?  
__This is too much to ask, macho mouse!  
__You're gonna give yourself a heart attack here! _

I know okay?!  
I also can't believe that me of all mice is saying this.  
That this day would ever come…  
Man...

With reluctance, he let her go.  
It took him all his inner strength to create some distance between them.  
Because his body was still yearning.  
Craving.  
There was still that burning desire that almost made him look cross-eyed.  
But he needed to think this through.  
He needed to protect her.

_Protect yourself and just go for it, man.  
__Goddammit, since when do you care this much, huh?_

There's a first time for everything...  
Besides, him protecting the ones he loved with everything he had was nothing new.  
There weren't that many people who he loved.  
Who he let in.  
Only a few.  
And that made them special.  
So special, he would do everything to protect them.  
He would even give his life for them.  
And this human girl was one of them.

_Oh, the drama…._

Although the latter was clearly at loss too right now.  
Charley adjusted her blouse, her cheeks redder than red.  
Her body language told him she wasn't at ease.  
At all.  
Even worse, confusion was added to the mix.

_She ain't the only one here.  
__What the hell, dude?!  
__This sucks, big time!_

She looked up at him, the insecurity in her eyes made him feel even more guilty.  
"I thought you wanted this, sorry, I guess I was kinda caught up in the moment..", she mumbled as her gaze already wandered off again.  
The embarrassed tone in her voice cut through his soul.  
Oh, Charley girl…  
Did she really think that he was rejecting her?  
Oh man, come on...  
For once, just for this one goddamn time, he was trying to do the right thing.  
Then why did it feel so wrong?

_Because this ain't your thing.  
__Doing the right thing is LAME!  
__And you, my friend, ain't lame. _

Of course he wasn't.  
But this was Charley.  
And she was taking this whole thing wrong.  
It wasn't that he didn't want her, oh jesus, hell no…  
Every muscle in his body was stopping him to jump her.  
He was having an inner battle she wasn't aware of.  
And he was close to losing control.  
The second time this day.  
It's just one of those days…

_***inhales***_

Oh man, not again…

_It's all about the he says, she says bullshit!  
__I think you better quit, talking that shit, punk!  
__So come and get it__!_

For FUCK sake, stop the singing, man!  
You're killing me here.

_I can't help it.  
__I mean, your life is like a fucking musical, dude._

It is not, goddammit.  
I'm way too cool to be in a musical, ugh.

_I dunno, bro...  
_'_Vinnie The Musical.'  
__I think it's catchy. _

Puhlease…  
Enough for now.  
Why is it so goddamn hard to stay focussed, huh?

_Because it's just one of those days..._

ENOUGH!  
Back to Charley.  
Who was completely unaware of his inner conversations.  
Which probably was a good thing.  
Hehe.  
Vinnie grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at him.  
Feeling that soft skin under his fingers was enough to give him goosebumps all over his body again.  
"Trust me when I say I want ya, sweetheart. But you deserve so much more than just ordinary sex in an alley."  
The look on her face now changed to surprised.

_I'm with her in this one, mate.  
__I mean, since when are you this picky?  
__Because let's face it; an alley is far more decent than the places you had before.  
__Besides... sex is sex, ordinary or not…_

No way, man.  
Not with her.  
She truly deserved so much more.  
This was Charley, not one of his conquests for a one night stand.  
Heck, if this wasn't Charley, he wouldn't be standing here, contemplating this.  
Usually, he didn't care that much.

_Usually, you start to think __**after**__ you got laid.  
__Why change a winning game, huh?_

That's not the point.  
The real point here was that her body was so much different than he was used to.  
She was so much more fragile than a Martian Mouse.  
And he was…  
Well, ya know…  
Buff.  
Strong.  
Heavy.

_Dirty-minded...  
__Well-endowed…_

So true, so true…  
Hehe…

Anyway.  
He really needed to blow off some steam first.  
To avoid he was gonna hurt her by accident.  
He knew himself.  
I mean, he wasn't one being able to control himself once started.  
And certainly not after three years of living like a goddamn saint.  
Hell no.  
And with her being this fragile...

_Hehe.  
__What could possibly go wrong?_

So many things.  
On so many levels.  
What if he would hurt her?  
There was no way that he was gonna be able to forgive himself if that would happen.  
Not even if it was by accident.

_So mucho mucho chivalrous…  
__Disgusting._

Next to lucrative.  
The last he wanted was to chase her away.  
She was finally his.  
No way he was ready to lose her.  
Not now.  
Not ever.

_Grmbl…_

Feeling her hand on his chest broke him outta his thoughts.  
He looked down and his mouth became dry.  
She was looking up at him with burning eyes.  
Her lips were curled into a small smile.  
A very seductive smile, that is.  
Oh boy.  
Things just got even more complicated...  
"And what if I tell you that I happen to like ordinary sex in a scenery like this?"

_Yeah…  
__What then, huh, smartmouth?_

Vinnie pulled his bandana as he swallowed with difficulty.  
Oh man, here he was.  
Trying to do the right thing.  
To protect her.  
But she wasn't the only thing that was fragile here.  
His will to do this right thing was too.  
I mean, come on!  
'Restraint' didn't really exist in his vocabulary.  
And she was pushing the wrong buttons.

_Or the exact right buttons, hehehe._

Dammit.  
Her hand was still on his chest.  
Slowly, one finger slid down.  
Over his bandoliers.  
Over his abs.  
She gave him this look.  
One he hadn't seen before.  
Naughty.  
Challenging.  
It send a chill down his spine.  
He knew he needed to stop her.  
His self-control was now dangling on a thin thread.  
But he couldn't.  
He was completely paralyzed.  
One finger was all it took.  
One finger sliding down was enough to make him almost lose his mind.  
Almost...

_Dude, this is inevitable.  
__You're a MAN, for fuck sake.  
__And a man has his needs.  
__Especially you._

No, that would be too easy.  
To predictable.  
Such a cliché too.  
Not with her.  
Not with Charley.  
Besides, he was a mouse, no man.

_Ugh, you get the point..._

His hand slowly reached to hers.  
Really, he was about to stop her.  
He really was.

_HA!  
__Who are you trying to convince, huh?_

But then her hand reached his pants.  
And he froze.  
No, Charley, don't…  
If you do this…  
There's no going back…

_We're already past that point.  
__Past the point of no return.  
__No going back now, muahahaha! _

Jesus, what the hell?

***click***

With only two fingers, she unbuttoned his jeans.  
Oh shit.  
Vinnie held his breath.  
He closed his eyes.  
He did everything within his power to clear his head.  
To fight against the burning desire that was threatening to overwhelm him.  
His hand was now lying on her arm.  
But he still didn't stop her.

_Atta boy.  
__Don't stop her now…  
_'_Cause you're about to have a good time…  
__So you don't wanna stop at aaaaaaall!_

Honestly…  
This is starting to get so FUCKING ANNOYING!

_Ah, lighten up, bro._

Oh man.  
The tip of his tail started to twitch.  
His legs started to shake.  
Every muscle in his body was uptight.  
He leaned against the wall, resting the back of his head against the cold stones.  
A weak attempt to try to get this fog outta his brains.  
Dammit.  
There was no way out of this.  
There was no way in hell he was gonna be able to stop her.  
He was too far gone now.

_One more push is all it's gonna need…  
__And then we're on, dude.  
__Back in business._

But…  
But he…  
What if…

He felt her hand slid into his pants.  
Oh man, Charley…  
You're gonna be the death of me, one day.  
And he knew.  
He just knew.  
He was gonna lose this battle.  
Again.

_Maybe you do, but hey…  
__I see one hell of a delightful consultation price…_

Charley ain't no co…

But he couldn't think further.  
Because her hand was now touching him.  
A shudder ran through his body.  
His breathing became more and more shallow.  
Somehow still trying to control himself.

_Why though?  
__She wants this as much as you do.  
__So why play the knight in shiny armor, huh?_

Because that's just who he was.

_Liar._

Hey!  
I ain't no…

He suddenly breathed in sharply.  
Her mouth.  
She just took him…  
...in her mouth...

_Well, hello…_

Jesus, Charley…  
Holy shit.  
That escalated quickly.  
His right hand clung to the wall, his left hand grabbed her hair.  
Her beautiful auburn hair.  
He gritted his teeth when pleasure rushed through his veins.  
And soon, his whole body was on fire.  
The things she did with her tongue…

_...  
__***Drools***_

Okay, that's it.  
Enough is just enough.  
So much for trying to be chivalrous.  
I mean, he really tried.  
No one could blame him from not trying,  
Not this time.  
But now…  
Now, all bets were off.

_Yiiihaaaa, unleash the beast and give it to her, man!  
__Van Wham Style!_

A growl vibrated in his chest as he pulled her up.  
Their eyes locked for a short moment before he kissed her again.  
His tongue slid into her mouth as his hands made their way down.  
She moaned against his lips and by the gods, it made him even wilder.  
He ripped her pants open and his right hand slid between her legs.  
And without any form of hesitation, he pushed two fingers inside of her.  
It was a good thing that he was supporting her with his left arm.  
Otherwise, she might have collapsed.  
But, _of course_, he was prepared for that.

_Am I good, or what?_

Duh.  
The best.  
She leaned against him, her fingers grabbed the fur on his arms.  
Pulled on it.  
The pain was bittersweet.  
"Jesus, Vin…", she panted.  
You said it, babe.  
Her voice was so different.  
Hoarse.

_Magical fingers I call them.  
__Great, huh?_

As far as he could tell, she was more than pleased.  
But hey, no surprise there.  
He had enough practice.  
Enough girls in the past.  
He lost count after fifty or so.

_Oh, you naughty boy..._

What?  
He happened to like sex.  
What's wrong with that?

But he had to admit; it just wasn't the same with her.  
It was different.  
_She _was different.  
In a good way, though.  
Her body leaning against his.  
Her scent that filled his nose.  
How she was holding him, being almost overwhelmed...  
It drove him crazy.  
It was enough to turn him on like never before.  
Gosh, he wanted her.  
Needed her.  
He needed to feel her.  
Right here.  
Right now.

_So, what are ya waiting for?  
__Let's do this shit!  
__Whoo!_

Charley apparently had the same thought, because she pulled back and kicked out her shoes.  
Then, she pulled down her pants to free her legs.  
She looked up at him, a blush on her cheeks.  
His mouth curled up at one side and he wiggled his eyebrows.  
A big smile appeared on her face, but she rolled her eyes at the same time.

_I know, I know.  
__Some things will never change, sweetheart._

In one movement, he lifted her and turned around.  
She wrapped his legs around his waist and leaned with her back against the wall.  
Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he lowered her.  
Over his…  
Ya know.  
And finally, he could feel her.  
Finally, he was inside of her.  
He heard her breath in sharply.  
And he almost snapped.

_Easy now, macho mouse.  
__Give her some time to get used to… you_.

Oh man.  
This was just one big test.  
But what do ya know…  
He managed to slow himself down to give her the time she needed.

_See?  
__No biggie. _

Define big, hehe.  
Just kidding, focus.

He saw how her face softened.  
He felt how her body relaxed.  
That was his cue to continue.  
And while still keeping a close eye on her, he started to move.  
His breathing accelerated as he moved almost painfully slow.  
Jesus, she was so…  
...so...

_Tight?_

Yeah…  
Her hands were holding his arms in a tight grip.  
Her eyes were closed.  
There was again that small smile around her lips...  
Her whole appearance breathed pleasure.  
Good.  
Time to pick up the pace.  
And so he did.

_Charley and Vinnie, standing in an alley…  
__F-U-C-K-I-N-G_

Really, huh?  
REALLY?!  
Shut the fuck up!

_Excellent choice of words, man._

Dammit, stop ruining this moment!

He was so close.  
She was too.  
Ladies first.  
He moved faster and faster…  
He felt her whole body tense…  
And there it was.  
Moaning his name, she reached her climax.  
He soon followed.  
There wasn't exactly a choice.  
Because when he felt her tense around him...  
That was enough.

_Aaaoooww!_

He leaned forward when the wave almost washed him away.  
Holy shit, man.  
He set his teeth in her shoulder as his whole body quivered against hers.  
One hand grabbed her neck, the other he used to support himself against the wall.  
His legs almost collapsed, but he managed to stand upright.  
Sweet holy Mothers of Mars…  
No, too religious.  
Fucking hell…  
Better.  
That was…  
Amazing.  
And went surprisingly well, too.  
She was less more fragile than he'd thought.

_And way more dirty, hehe._

True that.  
He was still leaning with his head on her shoulder when she opened her mouth.  
"Wauw, that was…", she breathed.  
"Mindblown? Heaven? Devine?", he mumbled against her neck.  
"All three at the same time, I guess…"  
He kissed her neck, his eyes still closed.  
Man, he was feeling so peaceful.  
Sex always made him feel so lazy.  
He lifted his head and looked up at her from under his lashes.  
Mister innocence himself.  
"You were expecting less, babe? Come on, you know me. I'm good at everything."  
And he winked at her as a small and arrogant smile appeared on his face.  
"Honestly... "  
She shifted her weight.  
But he was still inside of her.  
The movement caused a jolt through his body and he jerked upright.  
But when he saw the look in her eyes, he wrinkled his nose.  
She did that on purpose.  
Such a teaser, this girl.

_So, next round?  
__I'm in favor._

Vinnie was still conflicted about what to do.  
But then, his sensitive hearing overheard something.  
Uh oh...  
He clenched his teeth and pulled back.  
"You better cover that beautiful body of yours, sweetheart."  
She gave him a questionable look when he gently set her back on her feet.  
"I think your boyfriend is looking for ya…", he explained as he zipped up his own pants.  
"Oh!"  
She got dressed so quickly, even he was impressed.  
And right on time.  
Just when she put on her last shoe, the door behind them opened.  
Phewie.  
Close one.  
But then, he froze.  
He had this weird feeling that he was missing something.  
But what...

_Oh shit…  
__You ain't wearing your helmet…_

Fuck.  
He was still standing with his back towards the door.  
But that was nothing more but a small detail.  
I mean, the ears weren't that hard to miss, front or back.  
And the tail…  
Well, there was only one fine conclusion here.  
He was fucked.

_Hehehe, fucked.  
__I see what you did there._

Honestly…  
One day…  
One day he was just gonna pull his gun and shot himself.  
Just end this, once and for all.  
He was his own worst enemy.

_Nooo!  
__You wouldn't dare!  
__How can you even say that?  
__You __**love**__ me.  
__Me is you.  
__You is me.  
_

Don't...

_We are one.  
__You and I.  
__We're like the Earth and sky...  
__Hey, another song!_

I just came up with another musical.

_You did?  
__Oh, do tell!_

It's called; 'Silence The Musical.'

_Huh?  
__But…_

Ah, ah, ah!  
**Silence**.  
Besides...  
You're totally ruining the cliffhanger here.  
So, for the people out there, here's the last sentence for the last time.

He was fucked.

_***Whispers***  
__And the crowd goes wild…_

I give up.

_To be continued..._

Now that's more like it.  
Goddammit.  
Took ya long enough.  
Ugh.

_You mean yucky?_

...


	6. Chapter 6

Whoop whoop!  
I did it!  
Fuck you, writer's block!  
In your face!  
Booyah!

Ahem.  
Thanks for the reviews, it was a very hot chapter indeed, hehe.  
So, here's the last chapter.  
Hope you guys like it.  
Feel free to leave a review.

And thanks again for all of you who are supporting me.  
Really, without you guys, I would've quit a long time ago.

For those who haven't seen it yet, I started a new story.  
It's called Shadow of the Day.  
Check it out if you have some time.  
But only if you want to.  
No pressure.

Later guys!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Vinnie looked at Charley, who was staring at someone behind him.  
That someone was James, he could tell.  
And not only because of the shocked look on her face.  
The unfamiliar, yet strong scent which now filled his sensitive nose was the biggest clue.  
It wasn't one of his bro's.  
Nor it was Charley's.  
And it definitely wasn't his own scent.  
A thing he was grateful for.  
Because DAMN, the guy smelled bad, alright.  
Like a walking bouquet of petunias.

_Holy shit, does he shower with perfume instead of water or something?_

Phew...  
It had to be.  
Or perhaps he had shares in the brand he used.

_Hmmm, could be, ya know, could be…_

Vinnie's left ear twitched when he heard James breath in sharply behind him.

_Wow, careful now dude, before you intoxicate yourself with your own perfume…_

Hehe.  
That would be so fucking hilarious.  
Yeah, totally.  
Unfortunately, there was no reason to smile _at all.  
_Because he was busted.  
Ah man, Throttle was gonna kill him for being this careless.

_Yeah, well…  
__You were kinda in the middle of something…_

He was.  
Not just something…  
Charley.  
His body was still smoldering.  
The things she could do with her mouth…  
A shiver ran down his spine.

_That body of hers…  
__Not to mention that tongue..._

Ahem.  
Anyway.  
There was this delicate matter that required his attention, like, right now.  
James a.k.a. Reeko.  
Ugh.  
Time to face the music.

_Music?  
__MUSIC?  
__Did someone really just mention the word __**music**__ in my presence?_

Oh man...

_Ooh, I know the perfect song for this moment!  
__***Inhales*  
**__Turn around…_

Every now and then I get _EXTREMELY_ tired of listening to the sound of my _THOUGHTS!_

_Turn ar…  
__Wait, what?  
__That's not how the song goes, man!_

No, it's even better now.

_..._

Anyway, where was he…  
Ah.  
James.  
Vinnie turned around and his gaze landed on the human male.  
Who was still standing in the doorway, his skin paler than pale.  
His mouth hung wide open and his eyes…  
His eyes were as big as saucers.

_Great.  
__Just great._

Humans tended to react like this when they saw an alien for the first time in their boring life.  
It was both exhausting and mind-blowing.  
I mean, obviously, they weren't used to anything.  
Anything but themselves, that is.  
Did they really think that they're the only ones in this wild and wooly universe?  
Ugh,_ come on_.  
Could you believe that shit?  
Talk about being naive.

_Next to feeble-minded_.

Charley excluded, of course.  
With his ruby red eyes still fixated on James, Vinnie leaned back against the wall.  
He could see how the guy went through the different stages that came with discovering alien life.  
First, there was shock.  
Obviously.  
It's not that you get to see an alien every day.  
Especially not such a handsome one as himself.

_And with them picturing aliens as little green men...  
__Honestly, how did they even come up with something as lame as that?  
__And don't even let me get started about E.T.  
__Ugh._

After the first shock ebbed away, doubt was added to the mix.  
One could almost hear the questions raise inside the human's head.  
What the fuck?  
Is this even real?  
What the fuck?  
Is my brain playing some sick game?  
What the _actual_ fuck?

_Hehe.  
__Right on._

When they finally believed that they weren't hallucinating, the next stage began.  
The _'I demand you explain yourself'_ stage.  
Humans are curious by nature.  
They wanna know everything.  
Unfortunately, they're also suspicious.  
See, that's where the exhausting part comes in.  
Because they question everything that you tell them.  
And with everything he meant… _everything.  
_Vinnie folded his arms when he saw that the human male now entered that last stage.  
He hated this part.  
Reeko, oh sorry, _James_, was still staring at him.  
His right hand lifted and he now pointed a finger at Vinnie.

"You… you're a… giant…"

_Mouse, dude. Mouse.  
__But I bet you're gonna say…_

"...gerbil?"

_So predictable._

Vinnie wrinkled his nose in annoyance.  
He was so not in the mood for this.  
Where was Throttle when you needed him, huh?  
But his bro's were still inside, he could tell.  
So that meant he himself needed to talk to that stupid human being.  
And honestly?  
He was way too cool, too handsome and... stuff to talk to Reeko, uh James, uh whatever.  
But then again, he couldn't let Charley handle this on her own.  
That wouldn't be fair.  
They were in this together.

_Together…  
__I kinda like the sound of that…_

So, he took a deep breath.  
"No gerbil, that's kinda the same as me calling you a monkey. I'm a mouse."  
Duh.  
His voice gave away his annoyance.  
Good.  
"A… a mouse?"  
Oh man.  
So slow on the uptake, these humans.

_Ain't the tail and the ears enough?  
__And the fur, dude.  
__The__** fur**__!_

You should think that would be enough prove that he wasn't lying.  
But disbelief was written on James his face.  
And Vinnie noticed that his patience was running really low now.  
Man, this was not the kind of pillow talk he preferred.  
Somehow, Charley must have sensed it.  
She lined herself up between him and James.  
"Look, I know this is a lot to take in", she said with caution.  
The human male now looked at her, his eyes still wide open.  
"A lot to take in? A lot to take in? The feeling as if I'm losing my mind comes closer, Charlene. A mouse? Where on Earth is he coming from?"  
"Mars", Charley answered his question.

_3...2...1..._

"Mars?", James repeated, his eyes now almost popping out of his orbital sockets.  
"Mars", Vinnie answered tiredly.  
"Mars?"

_For fuck sake, what is it with Earthlings and repeating every word ya say like a goddamn parrot anyway?_

No idea.  
Charley gave him a warning glare, but come one…  
This was too easy.  
Too obvious.  
His lips curled up into an arrogant smile and he put a hand behind his big ear.  
"Is there an echo in here?"

_OOOOHHH BURN!_

Not really.  
But funny.  
Hehe.

Charley rolled her eyes, but then looked back at James.  
"They are the good guys here, James. So no need to panic, okay?"  
But by the looks of things, that was just about to happen.  
"So, these other two inside are also… they are…"  
He trailed off and Vinnie studied his face.  
Hmmm...  
Was Charley's skin this pale when she found out about them?  
Not that he could remember.  
Was her body this shaking?  
He didn't think so.  
And what about her eyes…?  
Did her eyes roll back like that?

***BAM***

Wait, what?  
No way.  
Did he just…  
...faint?

_BWAHAHAHAHA!_

This guy, honestly.

"That certainly went well", he snickered.  
Charley sighed in defeat, clearly at loss what to do next.  
He himself wasn't sure either.  
No surprise there.  
I mean, he was the cool one in the group, not the one with the brains.

_But here comes the cavalry..._

"What the hell is going on here?"  
Vinnie had never been this happy to hear the husky voice of his bro.  
I mean, he was their leader after all.  
If someone knew how to fix this mess, it would be Throttle.  
The tan-furred mouse always did.  
Fixing his mess.  
And oh boy, he sure knew how to make a mess, alright.

_What can I say?  
__It's a gift._

"He found out about you guys", Charley simply explained.  
"He didn't take it well, as you can see. Such a sensitive little fella, our Reeko, UH, I mean James", Vinnie added.  
Charley gave him a confused look.  
"Reeko?"  
Whoops.  
He quickly waved it away, knowing now wasn't the time.  
Because he saw how Throttle's face darkened.  
"He found out?"

_Oh.  
__Right.  
__I forgot…  
__Our fearless leader over here ain't amused if someone finds out. _

How could he forget?  
Dammit.  
He looked at his bro.  
The disappointment that was written on his face made his heart heavy.  
Oh man…  
This sucked.  
Big time.  
"Uh yeah, my bad…", he said, trying to sound casual.  
But the tip of his tail twitched.  
That goddamn tail, always giving away how he really felt.

_Hey!  
__You love your tail.  
__Like you love every part of that perfect body of yours..._

Right.  
Most of the time, he did indeed.  
Throttle threw his hands in the air and Vinnie braced himself.  
"Really, Vincent? One job. You have only _one_ job and that is keeping a low profile. I know that ain't really your cup of rootbeer, but there is such a thing as exaggeration."

_What can I say?  
__It just happens to you.  
__It's a lifestyle.  
__A religion.  
__I'm an Exaggerator with the capital E._

This ain't helping.  
Luckily for him, Charley came to the rescue.  
"Throttle, this wasn't just his fault. We were uh… in the middle of something and we both forgot the helmet."  
The tan-furred mouse now looked at Charley and his face softened.  
Vinnie knew he himself wasn't the only one having a soft spot for this girl.  
His bro loved Charley as if it was his sister.  
Both of them did, actually.

_Speaking of the devil, look who's coming to join this oh so awkward event..._

"In the middle of something, huh?", Modo's heavy voice rumbled behind Throttle.  
Oh man.  
Here we go.  
The grey-furred giant stepped over the still unconscious body of James, an amused look on his face.  
Charley's cheeks turned red as she flashed a nervous look towards Vinnie.  
And guess what, it turned out that nervousness was contagious.  
His hands turned sweaty as he shuffled with his feet.

_Ugh, come on, macho mouse.  
__Nothing to be ashamed of.  
__There's nothing wrong with love. _

Does that also count for intergalactic love?

_Good point._

But he couldn't keep this from them.  
His bro's had the right to know.  
Every right.  
All that remained now was to just tell them.  
No biggie.  
"Yeah, uh… we uh… Ahem… hehe…", he stuttered.

_Dude, what the hell?  
__Stuttering ain't my definition of being cool. _

Modo and Throttle were both looking at him with curiosity and amusement.  
It made him feel even more uncomfortable.  
Goddammit…  
But when he glanced at them, he realized something.  
They already knew.  
He could see it, it was practically written on both of their faces.  
But apparently, they wanted to hear it from him.  
Such teasers, these two.  
Dammit.  
But again, Charley came to the rescue.  
It appeared that not all heroes wear capes.

_Well, duh.  
__You ain't wearing one either. _

Nah, not really my style.

Anyway.  
He felt Charley's hand on his arm and saw that she was now standing next to him.  
"I think what loudmouth here is trying to say, with the emphasis on trying…"

_Funny, Charley girl.  
__Very funny. _

"...is that we uh… well, we just found out… uhm…"  
_Ha!  
_Vinnie looked down on her with a smugly smile on his face.  
"Who's trying now, huh, sweetheart?"  
Her cheeks turned even redder.  
_So cute.  
_"Yeeeees?", Modo asked expectantly.  
"I love him."  
"I love her."  
They both blurted it out at the same time.

_Wauw, already taking the relationship to the next level, huh?  
__Saying stuff like that in unison...  
__How romantic._

It was a coincidence.  
Nothing more.  
Nothing less.  
Ugh.

_Sure.  
__If that helps ya sleep at night..._

He hardly dared to look at his bro's.  
But eventually, he did.  
And relief rushed through his veins when he saw they both had this amused look on their face.  
"Well, took you guys long enough", Modo smiled.  
"Yeah, we all knew it was gonna happen eventually", Throttle nodded.  
"With _all _he means me and him, I mean, it was obvious you two were in denial for a loooong time, alright", the grey-furred giant snickered.  
"Yeah, what he says", the tan-furred leader agreed with his bro.  
Vinnie rolled his eyes.  
Man…

_Hey, at least they are distracted from James, oh sorry, I mean Reeko.  
__That saves us all some trouble._

True that.  
Modo suddenly stood next to him.  
Uh oh…  
About that trouble...  
"So, it all got nothing to do with Charley, huh? Ain't that the words you used?", his bro teased as he took the white furred-mouse in a headlock.  
"Hey man, easy on the antennas!", Vinnie squeaked as he tried to get himself loose.  
But of course, that was no use.  
And Modo was far from done.  
"So, it turns out I was right. It _was_ about Charley ma'am. And there _was_ more to it", he added as he gave Charley a meaningful look.  
Who's head had now the color of a fully grown tomato.  
"More to it? I uh…"  
"With James. You used him, didn't you?"  
"Oh, hehe, yeah... It's a long story, and really not that interesting, hehe, trust me...", the human girl mumbled as she rubbed an invisible piece of lint of her blouse.

_Oh man…  
__You two are never gonna hear the end of this…_

Nope.  
But that's okay.  
He won, and nothing was gonna stop him from enjoying this victory.  
So, after he managed to get out of Modo's grip, he swung an arm around Charley and pulled her against him.  
He just couldn't stop smiling.  
He got the girl.  
And not just _a_ girl.  
Charley.  
She was his now.  
It was worth everything, even the teasing of his bro's.

She looked up at him.  
'Reeko?', she mouthed.  
His smile got even bigger.  
'Later', he mouthed back.

_Later…  
__That sounds so… good.  
__A whole life together ahead.  
__Goodbye loneliness, may you rot in hell.  
__Hellooooo good life. _

Yeah, well...  
There was still one teensy-weensy little problem…  
"So… what are we gonna do with mister nerd?"

_Charley's POV_

Oh, boy, what a day.  
What a crazy day.  
What a beautiful day.  
Never had she thought that this day would come.  
But it was here.  
And it felt like a dream coming true.  
There was only one thing left to be handled.

That thing now moaned and his eyes slowly opened.  
But then, James flew upright.  
"Easy now, before you hurt yourself", Charley said softly.  
"Where is he?", the human male demanded as he looked around the garage being all stressed out.  
"Who?"  
"You know who! A giant mouse!"  
Charley pretended to be surprised.  
"A mouse? What the hell are you talking about?"  
James rubbed his head and when he touched his nose, he let out a soft yell.  
"The mouse who broke my nose!"  
Charley laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him her most understanding look.  
"The robber who broke your nose, you probably mean."  
"Robber? But.."  
Charley cut him off.  
"Listen, you took quite the knocking and because of that, I think you're a little confused…"  
"But… what happened?"  
"I'm not entirely sure, but I found you here passed out and all of my money gone. That made me come to the fine conclusion that the place got robbed and that you were here at the wrong place at the wrong time. What were you doing here anyway?"  
Of course, she already knew, but that was her secret.  
"I was here to surprise you, but then… then three big talking mice on motorcycles came inside and… well, at first I thought that they were robbers, but later on, one hit me and then you showed up and then the one who hit me left the garage, you followed him, and when I came to check on you, I saw big ears, a tail…", he babbled.  
Charley managed to keep her face in check, looking back at him with pity.  
That worked.  
He obviously started to doubt himself.  
"I realize how weird this must sound, but… but I know what I saw!"  
"I think you're brain is taking a run with you. I mean, listen to yourself. Giant mice on motorcycles?"  
James stared at her, his brain clearly making overtime.  
Charley fought the urge to say more, knowing that silence was more at its place now.

It had been Throttle's idea. To stick with the robbery story.  
To take advantage of him fainting and all.  
After Modo had brought James back into the garage, the mice had left to the scoreboard, leaving it up to Charley to deal with James.  
She was okay with that.  
Even if the guy was a nerd and so not her type, he did deserve to know the truth.  
Well, truth… her version of the truth, that is.  
He deserved to know that this…_ them_ wasn't gonna work out.

"But… it looked so real…"  
James soft mumbling broke her out of his thoughts again.  
She gave him another understanding look.  
"I know. But the brain can play some weird games sometimes. You need to rest. I will ride you home."  
But instead of agreeing with her, he shook his head in confusion.  
"But… you were robbed. Why didn't you call the police?"  
Luckily, she already had her answer ready.  
"Because the police can't help me. It's not the first time that I get robbed. I mean, I'm not exactly living in the safest area of Chitown. Besides, I was stupid enough to let the door open."  
He believed her.  
She could see it in his eyes.  
Luckily, James wasn't the most intelligent human being on this planet.

He was now officially the most embarrassed human being on this planet and Charley felt a pang of guilt.  
Fooling him once, bad.  
Fooling him twice, more than just bad.  
But she knew that this was for the best.  
For both the mice and James.  
The mice couldn't risk being discovered by the government, God only knew what would happen then.  
And for the safety of James, it was better that he had no link with the mice whatsoever.  
Limburger had the tendency to use others to get what he wanted.  
So yeah, it was for the best.  
Safer.

"I'm sorry, I… I cannot believe that I thought that was real… It looked so real, but… Mice on motorcycles, I don't know what I was thinking…", he murmured.  
"It's okay, really, it is. I had a concussion once too, and I was convinced that there was a unicorn in the backyard."  
Another lie.  
But for a good cause.  
James leaned forward and reached out to her.  
But she stopped him and lowered her eyes to avoid his confused look.  
"Charlene, what..."  
Taking a deep breath, she looked back at him.  
"I'm sorry, James, this is probably the most horrible timing ever, but you deserve to know the truth. And the truth is that this… us… it's not gonna work."  
"What? But… I thought… but… why?", he stuttered, clearly this came very unexpectedly.  
"There's… someone else. I thought that I was over him, but I now know I wasn't. I'm sorry."  
"Someone else? But… what?"  
James got on his feet and closed his eyes for a moment, wobbling on his feet.  
But he managed to stay upright.  
Charley also stood up and laid a hand on his arm.  
"I fooled myself. I thought I didn't need him, but I do."  
Tears filled his eyes and she fought the urge to run away.  
"But… but what about me?"  
"Oh, James… It is him who I want. It'll always be him…I'm so, so sorry."

For a moment, it looked like he was gonna break down in tears.  
Oh please, don't…  
Charley crossed her fingers behind her back...  
But then, he sighed and gave her a dazed look.  
"Okay. Okay, fine. I'm uh… just gonna go now."  
"Are you sure you don't need me to ride you home? Really, it's no trouble, I…"  
"No, thanks. I'm fine. I uh… bye."  
Charley suddenly saw the bouquet of roses lying on her desk.  
"James, wait!"

When he turned around, a hopeful glance on his face, she cursed herself for her choice of words.  
The last thing she wanted was to give him hope.  
She grabbed the roses and walked over to him.  
"Here, take these with you, please."  
James his face darkened again.  
"But... I bought them for you…"  
"Well, here's another thing you need to know… I really hate roses."  
It was if she just slapped him the face. He was clearly searching for words.  
But then, he slowly took the flowers and the expression on his face was now one of defeat.  
"Okay… So everything was all just a big lie, who cares? I'm uh… I'm gonna go now. Bye."  
"I really am sorry…", she mumbled but he ignored her.

Charley followed him with her eyes as he stumbled outside.  
She tried to feel sorry for him, and maybe she did.  
But right now, all she could feel was pure happiness.  
Next to freedom.  
Like a great weight had been lifted.  
Nothing was standing in their way now.  
Her whole body reminded her of him.  
With every move she made, she either felt or smelled him.  
Him.  
Vinnie.  
He was hers.  
It took him a while.  
But that's okay.  
He was finally hers…

_And they both lived happily ever after…_

Scratch that.  
Her life, his life, their life…  
It definitely ain't no fairytale.  
Next to the fact that she didn't believe in fairytales, not anymore.  
The war that the mice brought with them to Earth was more than enough to steal away her faith.  
So, truth to be told, she had no idea what the future might bring.  
Nothing was ever so uncertain as the future.  
But one thing was for sure.  
She loved him.  
And he loved her.  
That's a good start.  
And the rest…  
The rest comes as it goes.

_That's all folks._

**The end.**


End file.
